Separable fastener slider



Nov. 24,1931. R? L N 1,833,689

SEPARABLE FAS TENER SLIDER "Filed Jan. 26, 1928 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY Y Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT HERBERT NICHOLSON, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HOOK- LESS FASTENER COMPANY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA Application filed January 26, 1928.

'This invention relates to sliders for separable interlocking fasteners and particularly to single reversible sliders wherein the pull or actuating means has a limited sliding movement intermediate'the ends of the slider to positively actuateit'in either direction and locks the slider when turned down.

An object of the invention is to combine a locking device for such sliders with the w actuating pull, which will be simple to construct and assemble, certain in action, and will lock the slider in any position without danger of distorting the locking means or displacing the interlocking members upon the fastener stringers.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a lug having a longitudinal track is disposed on one wing of the slider, and the lower end of the pull member is slidable along the track but strikes against the lug and holds the pull member away from the slider wing except when it reaches the end of the lug. The pull member is provided with one or more locking fingers, preferably spaced from the lower end of the pull member, and adapted'to be inserted through a recess in the forward end of the slider into engagement with the interlocking members.

on at least one of the fastener stringers.

An advantage of shifting the pull member longitudinally on the slider is that it enables the controlling force to be applied adjacent one end of the slider or the other, depending upon the direction in which the slider is moved. In the present invention, this advantage is combined with safety to the locking fingers on the pull member and the inter- Y reaches the forward end of its travel, its at taching end will clear the end of the lug, the pull member will lie fiat against the slider wing, and the locking fingers will be guided SIEARABLE FASTENER SLIDER.

Serial No. 249,602.

through the recess in the wing into engagement with the interlocking members of the fastener.

Furthermore, the locking fingers will always engage between interlocking members which are interlocked, regardless of the position of the slider on the stringers. This prevents the interlocking members from being displaced by the locking fingers when the stringers are strainedor an attempt is made to move the slider when locked. If the locking fingers were permitted to project through the rear end of the slider they would engage between interlocking members which are not interlocked, and any strain tending to move the slider would cause the locking fingers to displace the interlocking members from their original positions on the stringers. Still another novel feature of the inven tion resides in an improved construction of the pull member in which the locking finger is struck up from the material which is cut away to form the recess or slot which engages over the pull attaching lug. This results 1n a saving of metal and a stronger locking finger.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a fastener showing the locking slider without the pull member;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the slider shown in Fig. l; v,

Figs. 3, 4 and -5 are side, end and plan views respectively, of the pull member;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the slider showing the longitudinally movable pull and the manner in which the locking fingers enga e between the interlocking members 0 the fastener;-

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a slider having a single recess in one wing;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the slider shown in Fig. 7

Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are side, end and plan views, respectively, of the pull member used in connection with the slider shown in Figs. 7 and 8;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of still another form of slider embodying the invention;

Fig. 13 is an end view of the slider shown in Fig. 12 v Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are side, end, and plan views, respectively, of the pullmember used in dconnection with the slider of Figs. 12

In Fig. 1, the slider 1 is mounted upon a fastener comprising two series of interlocking members 2 attached to the stringers 3, the interlocking members being alternately positioned upon the opposing stringers. The slider illustrated is of the one piece type disclosed and claimed in a patent of Gideon Sundback, No. 1,661,144, issued February 28, 1928.

Actuation of the slider to engage or disengage the interlocking members is accomplished by means of a pull member 4, shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, which is adapted to be slidably mounted on the elongated lug 5 formed on one of the wings. of the slider. The opposite sides of the lug 5 are formed with recesses 6 separated by a stiffening web,

as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which provide a track to receive the inwardly directed projections 7 .at the lower bifurcated end of the pull member. The stiffening web between the recesses 6 may be omitted, if desired, or anyother suitable loop may be used whether in- .80 tegral with or otherwise attached to the wing. A pair of locking fingers 8 are formed on the underside of the pull member 4 spaced from the lower end thereof. The locking fingers 8 may be formed adjacent the rear 85 edge 9 of the small slot 10 between the bifurcated ends, and are preferably struck up from the material which is cut away in forming the slot 10. The locking fingers 8 are long enough to extend through the recesses v 11 in the forward end of the slider when the pull member is moved to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The narrow end of the slider, that is, the end where the fastener elements are closed within the slider, is herein designated as the forward or front end.

' When the 'pull member 4 is in the intermediate position shown in full lines in Fig.

6 it cannot lie flat against the upper wing of the slider because'the straight reart'ed e 9 of the slotlO contacts with the top sur ace of.

the lug 5, and the inclined edges 12 of the slot 10 contact with the under surface of the lug, acting as obstruct-ing portions which hold the pull member in the inclined position as shown 4 so that the locking fingers 8 cannot enter the recesses 11 in' the slider. Any strain upon the pull member while in this position, tending to depress it, will be distributed evenly between the ed es 9 and 12. -While in this position the 100 'ng' fingers 8 are held out of contact with the upper wing of the slider, as shown in Fig. 6, and cannot become bent or deformed. This c'o-action betwen the slider lug and slot in the pull acts in a sense as a means to guide the locking finger into engagement with the fastener elements only where they are interlocked. f

The pull member 4 must be moved along the lug 5 to the lower end of-its travel before the small slot 10 in the ull member will pass over the end of the ug and allow the ull tolie in the plane of the slider wings. he pull attaching lug 5 has a straight upper surface parallel to the slider wings WlllCh merges into an outwardly convex; curved surface 17 at the front end of the slider as shown in Fig. 6 and this curved surface guides the lockin fingers 8 into the opemngs 11. When t e pull member ismoved into the dotted position shown in Fig. 6, lying flat against the upper wing of the slider, the locking fingers 8 project through the recesses 11 in the upper wing of the slider and enter between the interlocking members 3 on each stringer. At this point the interlocking members 3 on the opposite stringers are always engaged. When'the pull member reaches the forward end of its travel and is turned down the locking fingers 8 are guided into the recesses .11 due to the camming action between the forward edge of the lug 5 and the bifurcated end of the pull member. The locking fingers 8 are spaced laterally'and longitudinally on the pull member 3 so that they will engage between the locking members which are mounted in sta gered relation on the opposite stringers. I the slider is not in the exact position on the stringers to permit the locking fingers 8 to enter the space etween them, this will take place as soon as there is relative movement between the slider and the interlocking members. The mere depression of the fingers 8 against the edge of the interlocking members 3 will usually force the slider to move sufiiciently to permit the fingers to enter the spacebetween the interlocking members.

The slider shown'in Figs. 7 and 8 is sim- Y ilar to that described above .except that there 'is but one recess 11 in the upper win of the slider. The pull member shown in igs. 9, 10 and 11, which is employed with the slider shown in Figs. 7, and 8, has but one locking finger 8, which enters the recess 11 and projects between the interlocking member's3 on 7 one stringer. Locking is accomplishedonly when the pull member reaches the forward end of its travel, at which time it lies flat against the upper. wing of the slider, as described-above. v

The slider shown in Figs. 12 and 13 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1 except that the upper wing is provided with a single recess or cut-away portion 13 which extends from the forward end of the slider to the lug 5.

The pull member used in this construction is shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 16, and is constructed with a projection 14 which is cut with a V-shaped recess 15, as shown in Fig. 15. The two prongs of the projection 14 are the slider.

The locking slider of this invention is simple in construction and operation, is short and compact and is economical to manufacture. No careful. manipulation is necessary tocenter the locking fingers in the recesses of the slider because they automatically enter the recesses when the pull member reaches the forward end of its travel. The locking fingers are set in from the end of the pull member and thus protected against damage when the pull member is in an intermediate position on the slider. The size of the recesses in the slider is immaterial because the locking fingers can only enter these recesses at a place where the interlocking members of the fastener are in engagement, and hence meticulous precision in blanking out the recesses is unnecessary. The advantages of a longitudinally shiftable pull member are secured without danger of displacing the interlocking members upon the stringers and without injury to the locking fingers.

Various changes in the details of construction hereindisclosed may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is: v 1. A locking slider for interlocking separable fasteners comprising a pair of spaced wings, a pull attaching lug having an upper surface running parallel to the slider wings and merging into the outwardly convexed curved surface 17 at the front end of the slider and within the limits of the slider wings, a pull member shiftable longitudinally along said lug, locking means carried by said pull member adapted to engage interlocking members on the fastener in inoperative position of said pull member and adapted to be disen gaged when swung upwardly to operative position, and means on said pull member adapted to cooperate with said surface 17 including a smooth rounded front corner on said lug to guide the locking means into engagement with the fastening members during the downward swinging movement of-said pull member to inoperative position.

2. A locking slider for interlocking separable fasteners having a pull member shiftable longitudinally thereon, said slider having spaced wings, a recess in one of said wings directly over interlocked members of the fastener, locking means on said pull memher to hold the slider against movement, and means cooperating with said pull member to guide the locking means through said recess and into engagement with the interlocking members only where they are interlocked.

3. A locking slider for interlocking. separable fasteners having spaced wings, a pull member shiftable longitudinally on one wing, a recess in said wing, a finger on said pull member insertable through said recess into engagement with the interlockingvmembers of the fastener to hold said slider against movement, and means acting on said pull member to prevent said finger from entering said recess except at a point where said interlocking members are in engagement.

4. A locking slider comprising a pair of spaced wings, a lug on one wing, a recess in saidwing adjacent an end of said lug, a pull member having an intermediate locking finger, and means on said pull member for slidably engaging said lug and adapted in certain positions to strike against said lug to hold the pull member away from said wing and in another position to slide over said lug to guide the locking finger through said recess.

5. A locking slider for interlocking separable fasteners, comprising a pair of spaced wings, an elongated lug having a longitudinal track on one wing, a recess in said wing adjacent the forward end of said lug, a pull member having one end slidable along the track in said lug and adapted to strike against said lug when in an intermediate position thereon to hold said pull member out of the plane of said wing, and a locking finger set in from the end of said pull member and adapted to project through said recess when the pull member reaches the forward end of its-travel.

6. A locking slider for interlocking separable fasteners, comprising a pair of spaced wings, an elongated lug having a longitudinal track on one wing, a recess in said wing adjacent the forward end of said lug, a pull member having a bifurcated end slidable:

along the track in.said lug and adapted to clear'the end of said lug to permit the pull member to lie flat against said wing only when it reaches the end of the lug, and a locking finger set in from the bifurcated end of said pull member to hold it out of contact with said wing when the pull member is in an'intermediate position on said-lug and adapted to project through said recess into engagement with the interlocking members of the fastener when the pull member reaches the forward end of its travel and lies flat member reaches the forward end of its travel.

'8. The combination with a pair of flexible stringers having opposed series of interlock-- ing members thereon, of a slider movable along said stringers to engage and disengage said members, a pull member shiftable longitudinally on said slider, a recess in said slider, a locking finger on said pull member and means cooperating with said pull member to guide said locking finger through said recess between adjacent interlocking memhers on one stringer only Where they, are in engagement with interlocking members on the opposite stringer; v

9. The combination with a pair of flexible stringers having interlocking members thereon, of a slider having spaced wings movable along said stringers to engage and disengage said members, a lug on one of said wings, a

- pull member slidably mounted in said lug, a

recess in the forward end of the slider where the interlocking members of the fastener are in engagement, a locking finger on said pull member adapted to enter said recess and project between said interlocking members when the pull member lies in the plane of said Wings, and an obstructing portion on said pull member adapted by contact with said lug to prevent the pull member from lying in the plane of said wings except when it reaches the forward end of said lug.

- 10. A locking slider for separable fasteners having a pair .of spaced wing portions, a

v pull member mounted on one of said-wing portions and longitudinally shiftable relative thereto, a locking finger projecting from said pull engageable with interlocking members on the stringer in inoperative position of the pull, and cooperating means on said slider and pull at one side' of said locking finger and independent thereof forpreventing engage-mentof said finger with the slider in positions other than the locking position.

11. A locking slider for interlocking separable fasteners comprising a .pair of spaced wings, means providing a trackway along'one of said wings, a pull member slidable along said trackway, a recess in the front end of .said wingv adjacent said track way opening toward the front end of the slider, and a finger on said pull member adapted to project through said recess into engagement with the fastener elements to lock the slider 'when the poll is moved to the forward end of said trackway, and pushed into parallel relation with the slider.

pullv member pivotally attached thereto having arecess the walls of which engage over the pull attaching means, said pull member comprising a substantially flat piece of-sheet metal, a portion of which along the edge of said recess is struck up in a plane parallel to 

